Holder for writing paraphernalia



April 8; 1941.

E. POSNACK" HOLDER FOR WRITING PAHAPHERNAIJIA Filed July so, 1.940

INVENTOR. d

Paientecl Apr. 8, 1941 UlTE D STATES PAT EN T FFICE '7 Claims.

This invention relates to holders for writing paraphernalia and the like, such as paper pads, cards, letters, pens and pencils, and particularly, although not exclusively, to devices in this category in the form of desk units similar to those :j

described in my prior patents numbered 2,202,267 and 2,202,300, both issued on May 28, y1940.

It is primarily within the contemplation of this invention to improve the ope-ration and utility of pad holders by facilitating the removal of sheets therefrom. More specifically, it is one of the objectives of my invention to provide stop and guide means for enabling a loose pad of paper to be neatly and evenly maintained in a predetermined position on the baseof the holder. And in this aspect of my invention, it is another object to enable the sheets in the pad to be so positioned as to facilitate the ready removal of single sheets therefrom, `and in unmutilated condition.

`It is within the further contemplationv of my invention to provide a device of the above-mentioned category with friction means capable of holding the uppermost sheet in fixed position While a Whole and uninutilated underlying sheet is being removed from the pad.

Other objects, featuresy and advantages will appear from the drawing and description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawing,

Figure l is a longitudinal section of one form of my invention, tairen substantially along line l-l of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional plan taken substantially along line 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal elevation, substantially similar to that of Figure 1, showing a modified form of my invention.

Figure 4. is a sectional rear View of Figure 3 taken substantially along line 4-4.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, similar to Figure 3, showing another modification of my invention.

Figure il is a View similar to Figure 5, showing still another modified form of my invention.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of still another form of my invention Where the yieldable eienient in pressing engagement with the pad weighted member, as distinguished from theresilient member of Figure 1, and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary plan'view of Figure 7.

It will be observed that Figures 1 to 6 refer generally to the type of holder described in Patent No. 2,202,267 wherein a resilient member is in pressing yieldable engagement with the underlying pad, Whereas Figures 7 and 8 relate generally to the type of structure disclosed in Patent No. 2,202,300 wherein a weighted member is in pressing and yieldable engagement with the underlying pad. This invention applies equally to both of the types above referred to, as well as to any other design of holder wherein a pad, particularly of the type consisting of loose sheets i of paper, is frictionally held upon a suitable base by yieldable pressing means. y

Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing illustrate a holder comprising a base member it to the rear of which is attached an upright Il; and supported by said upright by fixed fasteners at if, or any other convenient means, is the holder member i3, the particular form thereof illustrated being a resilient clamp overlying the rear of the base I0 and adapted for yieldable and pressing engagement with a pad It, composed of loose sheets, supported upon the base. The loop portions |5 and the spaces I6 are adapted to receive writing implements and sheets of paper, respectively, as set forth in my prior Patent No. 2,202,267.

In the preferred embodiment of this form of my invention, the lower portion of member I3 is provided with friction and stop means, preferably comprising one or more longitudinally extending strips of friction material Il, such as rubber, and one or more downwardly and rearwardly inclined relatively rigid stop members I8. In the form of my invention disclosed in Figures 1 and 2, the friction and stop means are each combined in a unitary piece, secured to holder I3 by adhesive or any other suitable fastening means. I'he base l0 contains at the rear thereof the apertured portions lil into which the stops I8 extend.

It Wiil thusy be observed that the stops i3 are behind the pad-engaging portion of holder I3, and are adapted to receive thereagainst the rear edges of the sheets of the pad Ill. It will be further observed that the inclination of stops I8 is such as to produce an upwardly and forwardly extending inclination of the front surface 20 of the pad, the upper sheets being more forwardly disposed than the lower sheets. Obviously with this arrangement it will be easier to grasp the upper or any other selected single sheet than would be otherwise possible, inasmuch as the front edge of each sheet projects slightly more than its underlying sheet. In this manner a single sheet can be very readily withdrawn from the entire pad against the yieldable holding action of resilient member |3,-and the probability of an inadvertent withdrawal of more than one sheet at a time is reduced to a minimum,

Inasmuch as the stops I8 extend into apertures I9, positioned at the rear elevated portion of the inclined base II, there will be no obstruction to the downward movement of the stops upon an operative downward movement of the lower portion of member I3. In this manner, the said stops will at all times be conveniently accommodated either above or within the interior of the hollow base regardless of the position or number of sheets in pad I4. For example, if there is a full stack of sheets, the stops I8 will be elevated accordingly, and if there is no pad in place, the said stops will extend downwardly into the base to their lowermost positions.

It is also apparent that a loose pad of sheets can be quickly inserted in place underneath holding member I3 and brought into position by sliding it along base I until the rear of the pad encounters the stops I8. At'this point no further rearward movement can take place, and the entire pad of sheets can readily be placed in a neat and even stack in the desired position, as afore- By employing the friction members I 'I as an element of member I3, it is apparent that there will be a slight frictional resistance to the withdrawal of the upper sheet. Should it be desired, for example, to remove the second sheet from the pad and yet leave the rst or uppermost sheet intact, all that need be done is to grasp the second sheet and effect a sharp forward pull. Inasmuch as the sheet to be removed is positioned between two relatively smooth sheets, it will be readily withdrawn while the uppermost sheet will be retained in position due to the frictional resistance afforded bythe friction members Il. The holder thus possesses the very desirable and novel feature of enabling the uppermost sheet, which may contain written data thereon, to be retained in place while an absolutely clean sheet is removed unmutilated from the pad.

It is important to observe that although the friction means I'I and stop means I8 can be independently employed, they nevertheless serve to coact with each other in maintaining the sheets of the pad in the position shown in Figure l. The stops I8 serve as a guide in the arrangement of the front edge 2) of the pad, as above described,

and prevents a rearward retraction from such position; and the friction pads I1 aid in holding the sheets in such position,-and serve to prevent both a lateral and forward displacement of such sheets. tioned with the aid of stops I8, the friction members I'I will cooperate therewith to hold the pad in position.

The said friction members I'I can be made of any suitable material having the required frictional surface, such as rubber, leather or felt,-or may merely consist of a serrated or roughened surface on the underside of the holding member, such as is designated by the reference numeral 2| in Figure 3. It is also understood that the surface of the friction means may extend either transversely across the entire member I3, or be disposed therealong in any other manner.

In the form of my invention illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, the stop members are in the form of strips of metal 22 pressed out of the body of clamping member 23, these being rearwardly and downwardly inclined in accordance with any predetermined setting. It is of interest to note that the inclination of stop members 22 can be readily Hence, once the pad is properly posialtered, in this arrangement, by a manual manipulation, as conditions may require. It will further be observed that the stops 22 are disposed rearwardly of the front wall 24 of the recessed portion 25, so that there is no obstruction whatsoever to the downward movement of the stops, thereby enabling them at all times to be conveniently accommodated within such recessed portion regardless of the thickness of the pad, substantially in the manner of the form hereinabove described.

In this modification, the base 26 is illustrated as being integral with the upright 2'| supporting holding member 23,-the recessed portion being formed at the juncture of the said base and upright.

My invention is not limited to an arrangement of stops supported by holding member I3 or equivalent member, inasmuch as I contemplate the use of stop members extending from or attached to other portions of the device. Thus, by referring to Figure 5, it will be seen that extending upwardly from base 28 is the stop member 29 at a predetermined inclination, such stop extending through corresponding aperture 30 in holding member 3|. This stop member 29 is adapted to receive thereagainst the rear of a pad operatively inserted on base 28 beneath member 3|, and to hold the front edge of said pad at a proper inclination. Upon a raising or lowering of the padengaging portion of member 3| to accommodate different thicknesses of the pad, the apertured portion 30 will move substantially longitudinally of stop member 29. The arrangementl is also such as to provide a region 32 between the loop portion 33 and stop 29 for accommodating a writing implement placed transversely across member 3 I.

Figure 6 sho-ws another form of my invention wherein the stop member 34 is pressed forwardly directly from upright 35, the angular disposition of wall 33 being adapted to determine the relative position of the sheets in pad 31 when the rear of the pad is in abutting engagement with said wall 33. The clamping member 38 is preferably at all times out of engagement with member 34.

In Figures 7 and 8 is illustrated another application of my invention containing a base 39, an upright wall 40, guides 4| extending inwardly from lateral walls 42, and a weighted member 43 slidably movable between upright wall 40 and guides 4|, substantially in the manner described in my said Patent No. 2,202,300. The said weighted member 43 contains on the undersurface thereof the friction member 44. The lower portion of wall 40 contains a rearwardly and downwardly inclined wall 45 serving as a rear stop for the pad 46 supported by base 39. It is thus apparent that in this arrangement I have a form of structure frictionally analogous to that of the forms hereinabove described, but instead of a resilient holding member such as I3, a weighted holding member 43 is employed, both holding members being in yieldable pressing engagement with the underlying pad. As in the other forms oi' this invention herein described, the holding member 43, together with friction member 44, cooperate to present a yieldable resistance to the withdrawal of a sheet; and the inclined wall 45 serves as a stop, similar to stops I8 of Figure 1, for preventing a rearward displacement and maintaining the front edge 41 of the pad upwardly and forwardly inclined so that the upper sheets are more forwardly disposed than the lower sheets.

It is of course understood that the various embodiments above described and shown in the drawing are illustrative of my invention and not employed by way of limitation, inasmuch as numerous changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What I claim is:

l. In a holder of the character described, a base adapted to accommodate a pad thereon, a holding member overlying and yieldably engageable with a portion of the base whereby said member will be in pressing engagement with the pad on the base, a recessed portion adjacent the rear of the base, and stop means behind the pad-engaging portion of said holding means and extending into said recessed portion, the stop means being adapted for abutting engagement with the pad operatively held between said mem- -ber and the base. l

2. In a holder of the character described, a base adapted to accommodate a pad therein, a holding member overlying and yieldably engageable with a portion of the base whereby said member will be in pressing engagement with the pad on the base, and stop means behind the pad-engaging portion of the said holding member and adapted for abutting engagement with the pad operatively held between said member and the base, said stop means being secured to and extending downwardly from said holding member.

3. In a holder of the character described, a base adapted to accommodate a pad thereon, a holding member overlying and yieldably engageable with a portion of the base whereby said member will be in pressing engagement with the pad on the base, and combination friction and stop means comprising a strip of suitable friction material underlying the pad-engaging portion of the holding member and a downwardly extending prong element behind said pad-engaging portion and of sufficient rigidity to hold the rear edge of the pad against rearward displacement, said combination means being attached to said holding member.

4. In a holder of the character described, a base adapted to accommodate a pad thereon, a holding member overlying a portion of the base and having a lower portion yieldably engageable with the base whereby said lower portion will be in yieldable pressing engagement with a pad on the base, an inverted substantially L- shaped unit comprising a forwardly extending strip of friction material underying said lower portion and at the rear thereof a downwardly extending stop member adapted for abutting engagement with the pad operatively held between said member and the base, and an apertured portion in the base adapted to receive therein said stop member.

5. In a holder of the character described, a base adapted to accommodate a pad thereon, a holding member having a lower portion thereof overlying and yieldably engageable with the base whereby said portion will be in pressing engagement with apad onthe base, supporting means for said member comprising an upright joined to the rear of the base, a recessed portion adjacent the juncture of the base and upright, and stop means behind said lower portion and extending into said recessed portion, the stop means being adapted for abutting engagement with the pad operatively held between said member and the base.

6. In a holder of the character described, a base adapted to accommodate a pad thereon, yieldable pad-holding means containing a movable pad-engaging member overlying and yieldably engageable with the base whereby said member will be in pressing engagement with a pad on the base, supporting means for said member, and stop means extending downwardly from and movable with said member, said stop means being behind the pad-engaging portion of said member and adapted for abutting engagement with the pad operatively held between said member and the base.

7. In a holder of the character described, a base adapted to accommodate a pad thereon, a resilient holding member having the lower portion thereof overlying and yieldably engageable with a portion of the base whereby said lower portion will be in yieldable pressing engagement with a pad on the base, and stop means containing a strip pressed out of said resilient member from a portion thereof behind the pad-engaging portion of the member, said strip being bent in a generally downward direction and being adapted for abutting engagement with the pad operatively held between said member and said base.

EMANUEL R. POSNACK. 

